Mike Rob Cut?!!!

[hox]

MikeRob lead block on Patrick Willis to spring Lynch for the first down.

[youtube]iEhYELCh-aY[/youtube]

 

[Decimation]

Man, not even going to lie, hope no team signs him and we get him on the cheap. Might be biased, but I love mike robs leadership, and the RRR.

 

[TwilightError]

I guess I just have to start the process of accepting that Michael/Coleman is the future and the beloved Lynch/Robinson will only exist in old season reviews.

 

[HawkWow]

This just proves to me combined with when Michael was selected in the 2nd round, that they plan on using more two running back sets on the side of Wilson in shotgun. If they plan on going shotgun most the time then a full back won't be utilized too often. Tight ends as H-backs yes, but it is rare for a fullback to be needed when we go shotgun. Lynch, Michael and Turbin are all going to get lots of reps and Ware or Coleman will be needed for their pass catching (faster as well) ability. You could see how the offense evolved throughout last year. Wilson was in shotgun much more and our offense took off...

Great observation. Pete and Co. know what they have in Wilson and they're going to exploit the hell out of him. I'm not (yet) calling RW "top 5" but he does have an unusual skillset and Pete and Bevell are going to maximize those skills while shielding his inadequacies. Bringing in Harvin is (was) a key component to what will surely be madness. We can do all kinds of crazy stuff..... as long as our defense kicks ass.

 

[AgentDib]

I hate seeing MRob go as well.

It's difficult to be too critical of the move without knowing more information. We don't know enough yet about his injury or whether the Hawks tried to renegotiate his deal. Maybe he will be limited longer than expected, or the Hawks thought he would agree to a pay cut and he refused.

There also may be something to the Hawks undergoing a minor change in offensive philosophy. Having a receiver in Coleman fits the narrative they spun around Harvin that they wanted as many receiving threats on the field at once as they could get. That pass conversion to Coleman last night stuck out at the time, as I am sure we were all expecting it to be an opportunity to practice our short yardage running game. They may have other thoughts on some of those third and short situations this season.

Until we get more information, I don't buy that this was just about rolling over some cap space for 2014.

 

[Sterling Archer]

I'm with you and just about everyone else in thinking this is a bad move here. Now I know that the elite teams out there not only stockpile talent ... they also are masters at managing the cap (see the Raiders as an example of what can happen if you don't.) Still ... I can't help but feel that this has the potential to be a colossal mistake.

Schneider and company did the exact same thing last year with Kellen Winslow -- no one can look back at that move (and the subsequent signing of Evan Moore) now as anything but a salary dump. Do you really believe that Schneider, Carroll, and company honestly thought that Winslow for Moore was basically a wash ... and that they'd still be able to run all the 2 TE sets that they worked hard on installing all last offseason? No way they believed that ... and now we're seeing the exact same kind of move being made IMO with MRob. Don't tell me that Coleman can do as good a job at FB and opening up those holes for Marshawn right now as MRob did -- not buying that one.

Maybe MRob's injury situation was far worse than we generally know and that played a big part in this decision ... but to me, the Seahawks appear to have made this move based chiefly on fiscal responsibility. IMO, teams that are poised to make Super Bowl runs just don't make moves like this one. I sure hope I'm wrong and will eventually chow down on a big plate of crow with this one ... but at this moment, I'm not feeling good about this move at all.

How is this in any way related to the Kellen Winslow situation? Winslow was not a 3 year player on this team, nor did he factor in at all in his stay here. Also, just FYI, but the SB winners from last year cut Leach, the consensus "best" FB in the league, so you can't say a caliber team would not cut their starting FB. The position is basically just a blocking position in this league at this point. I think this is a "value versus cost" move and it does make sense. Saying all that, I really like MRob and this really sucks, but if it makes it possible to keep a more valuable player it's a good and necessary move. If there was no salary cap in place then he would remain on the team, but keeping a starting WR (Tate, Rice) or TE (Miller) is completely worth this sacrifice, not to mention the defensive all pro players up for renewal next year.

 

[olyfan63]

^^^ This.
And keeping young talent with multiple cheap years ahead of them.
Their program is planning not just to win this year, or even next year, but the next several years. This MRob move is consistent with the PC/JS program.

 

[sc85sis]

The health of MRob is probably the issue. If he has to sit out for 2-3 weeks, it does not make much sense to pay him a full years salary. It is well known in the NFL that the last year or two of a contract are very negotiable. Many contracts are restructured without any of us even knowing.

If MRob does have a "virus", it could be a fairly serious condition for an NFL player. Many of us could work with a nagging virus, lose weight and energy in the process and get by. Playing NFL fullback, is another story.

This move probably allows an extra D-lineman to be carried.

These moves are not made lightly, I am sure Pete and John now how important MRob was to this locker room.

Here's what Danny O'Neil said via Twitter:
@dannyoneil: @javyaguas No details other than he was legitimately sick, lost significant weight and made hefty salary for a fullback.

 

[AgentDib]

Belichick had an interesting discussion about the fullback position last week.

Fundamentally, when you have one back in the backfield and you have four on-the-line receivers, that gives you an ability to get into the defense potentially with four people. Or even if it’s three of them, sometimes the defense isn’t sure which three of them it is. One tight end could be in it and the other guy could be in protection, that type of thing. I think you’re able to attack the defense from the line of scrimmage a little bit quicker and with a little less predictability, depending on who those players are, of course. That's certainly a factor.

But as far as your running gaps, I mean, you can put more width at the formation by having a [second tight end] on the line, whether it’s four on one side and two on the other side of the center or three and three. You just have a wider front, which there are some advantages to that.

By having [a fullback] in the backfield, you can create that same four-man surface or three-man surface after the snap so the defense doesn’t know where the four-man surface or three-man surface is. The fullback has to -- he can build that from the backfield. And then there are also, let’s say, a greater variety of blocking schemes with the fullback in the backfield because he can block different guys and come from different angles. He's not always behind the quarterback. He could be offset one way or the other and create different blocking schemes and angles that it’s harder to get from the line of scrimmage.

Also, depending on who your tight end is, it can be a little bit easier to pass protect seven men because two of them are in the backfield instead of us having one in the backfield. And then when you start running guys up the middle in the gaps and things like that. I think fundamentally it’s a little easier to pick them up when you a have a guy in the backfield that can step up and block him from the fullback position as opposed to a tight end in the line of scrimmage who probably isn’t going to be able to loop back in and get him, so the line is probably all going to have to gap down or not gap down if the guy drops out and all that.

It just creates a different ... it creates some advantages, I think, and it also creates some things you have to deal with. You just have to decide how you want to deal with them.

Obviously when you have a guy in the backfield, it’s harder to get those two receivers vertically into the defense in the passing game. They’re usually running shorter routes to the flat or checking over the ball or those kind of things, short crossing routes -- versus having that fourth receiver on the line of scrimmage who can run some downfield routes, again depending on who the individual person is. The skill definitely changes what you can do with that guy.

So, I mean, I think those are the things that come into play. Some teams are very settled in one type of offense or another, so all of their plays and their rules or their adjustments come from that particular set. And other teams use multiple looks to, say, run the same plays or the same concepts to try to give the defense a different look. It’s harder for them to zero in on what they’re doing. But they’re able to do similar things from different personnel groups or different formations. That's a long answer to a really short question, but hopefully that helps a little bit.

 

[CaptainSkybeard]

It's possible his virus put him so far on his ass he would be out for several weeks... They may well want his roster spot while he recovers... And then wait for an IR worthy injury to happen, move that player to ir and resign him... Just saying.

 

[uncle fester]

Really not happy about this move.

First one since PC/JS took over.

Lynch called him his 'eyes'. This is a mistake.

 

[Atradees]

I hope he gets well soon.
This is surprise To me.
The move is aggressive.
Further seat from a traditional West Coast
Offense The better.
Its probably lesa complex than we make it as fans.

 

[sc85sis]

I hate this move. I understand it, but I hate it. And right about now I am really glad that I am not Pete Carroll or John Schneider; those guys have so many tough decisions to make this weekend.

This is the part of the NFL I really hate.

 

[SeaToTheHawks]

Feel like there's some over-reacting to this move going on. Sorry this is going to be spotty and jump around a bit. And I love MRob just as much as the next person.

--Don't use the RRR as a reason this is a bad move. Don't even bring it up. That has literally zero effect in the decision to make this move.

--$2.5 mil for a FB is pretty expensive.

--Whoever brought up the idea of using a two back set out of shotgun, just think about that. Sidney and Tate out wide. DBfresh at slot. Marshawn and Michael to each side of Wilson. What CAN'T we do out of that formation. It's brilliant. And when Percy gets back....Ewwwwww.....good luck rest of the NFL.

--Have faith in the FO. They have done MORE than enough to prove to us that they know what they are doing. This team was 7-9 in 2011, and we are 3rd favorites (from the online odds I've been looking at) to win the Super Bowl this year (Of course I feel like we should be the number 1 favorites). Has there ever been a turn around that fast and that drastic?

--FO has way more insight than we have. Remember, the offense is practicing against the #1 defense every single day. If they are thinking about and implementing new things on offense, such as a more pass heavy offense/put the ball in R-dubs hands more, then they know what will and won't work.

--MRob is without a doubt a leader and everything you'd want in a player and teammate, but I like what some others have been saying, this is Wilson's team. He's going to be our guy forever (I wish that was literal), and he 's ready to step up to the plate and have all eyes on him. He was born for this.

--Moves like this are the exact reason none of us are NFL GM's. We get attached to players and wouldn't be able to make the tough decisions.

--Some of you act as if this is going to make other players' production go down purely because MRob won't be on the team anymore....Is Marshawn just going to stop putting in effort and pout? If one of your favorite co-workers gets laid off, do you quit working hard and pout....no, because you could be next.....NFL RB is Marshawn Lynch's JOB, he's still going to be a bruiser no matter who is blocking in front of him. Richard Sherman is still going to be a lock-down corner no matter who is filming in the locker room. These guys aren't children. They are professionals.

--There's still a very real and good chance we get him back in a couple weeks at a reduced rate.

--Seahawks win Super Bowl 2014.

--The End.

 

[kearly]

I think you're wrongly assuming that Coleman is going to get all MRob's snaps. I've thought that our TE's when playing fullback this preseason have looked great. I expect to see more two tight end lineups with one of them lined up as an h-back/fullback type.

Also Spencer Ware, though not a blocking force (yet) could be a John L Williams type fullback. As a true weapon with the ball in his hands both as a runner and receiver.

Ware is a little like Weaver, true.

The TE/WR experiment at FB was probably just preseason tomfoolery, though.

 

[Tical21]

I came away from the last few games thinking Ware was fully expendable, and wanting to see better blocking from Coleman.

I totally see this move if we're not one of the favorites to contend. I'm a little shocked, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on this one.

 

[OlyHawk]

This is the business side of sports. As a fan, I think it sucks. Will we have a better team this year with whoever took his spot? Next year?
Mike Rob is a team leader, someone else will have to step up. Rob was on the field in many big plays last year and seemed to always be one of the first to congratulate a teammate.
Thanks for the memories, maybe he will be back later this season. I trust PS and JS. Go Hawks!

 

[-The Glove-]

With these responses, it makes me wonder...why even have any discussion on the forum when you get a bunch of "have faith in the FO", "they know better than us", "if PC and JS made the move, its obviously for the best", etc. People have different reactions, opinions, attachments to/on certain players. Let those people air their displeasure with this move.

My favorite is "its part of the business". Injuries are part of the business. Does that mean if someone gets injured we shouldn't be able to air our frustrations here?

 

[AgentDib]

With these responses, it makes me wonder...why even have any discussion on the forum when you get a bunch of "have faith in the FO", "they know better than us", "if PC and JS made the move, its obviously for the best", etc. People have different reactions, opinions, attachments to/on certain players. Let those people air their displeasure with this move.

Similarly, people who say they are okay with the move are just giving their opinions as well. Besides, 93.1% of the responses here are not actually directed at any one person, but just an excuse for the poster to provide their own opinion some more.

 

[QUILCENE]

I do not post here too frequently- but, the loss of Mrob is not a big deal- and to the fan who says, "we are going to be in the Super Bowl soon", my advice, is to grab your nuts- just in case.

You have to take it with a grain of salt- the Rob Report was great entertainment- but the reality of his contract on this years team, well, you see the hard decisions that Carrol and Schneider have to make- but they have gotten this team to the brink with everything they have done, so far- so why cry about this- this is about achieving greatness, and having a lasting effect on the NFL for the Hawks-

These kind of deals are common with all teams. Youth and vigor are the name of the day.